Something killed all my fish?

[exalectric]

That’s how I acclimate Reef Cleaners animals, I use fresh seawater and pull any DOAs that I see. I suggested that they change their info sheet to include this rinsing step, but they didn’t.

This is a bit of a mystery to me as there is no fish parasite that can be transferred on Inverts that will cause fish mortality in just 24 hours…just not possible. Having multiple tanks affected is also unexplainable in terms of coincidental issues.

If the reef cleaners animals are mostly o.k., and your existing inverts are also fine, that tends to rule out water quality issues and points to fish disease. Is there ANY chance hat a disease could have been introduced to all tanks 7 to 30 days before the fish loss?

Jay

I don’t think so. The 40g hasn’t gotten any new animals or corals in a month, and the biocube fish were quarantined before adding them to the tank a week ago.
The 75g also hasn’t gotten any new residents and doesn’t have any corals or other CUC.

 

[Cell]

That’s how I acclimate Reef Cleaners animals, I use fresh seawater and pull any DOAs that I see. I suggested that they change their info sheet to include this rinsing step, but they didn’t.

This is a bit of a mystery to me as there is no fish parasite that can be transferred on Inverts that will cause fish mortality in just 24 hours…just not possible. Having multiple tanks affected is also unexplainable in terms of coincidental issues.

If the reef cleaners animals are mostly o.k., and your existing inverts are also fine, that tends to rule out water quality issues and points to fish disease. Is there ANY chance hat a disease could have been introduced to all tanks 7 to 30 days before the fish loss?

Jay

If there were dinospores in the bag water that somehow made it through the rinse and into all 4 tanks, could they infect and kill this quickly?

Edit- nevermind you just answered this

 

[Rtaylor]

If a 40% water change ‘fixed’ an acute problem. That’s a big clue that the problem is water quality related.

 

[exalectric]

Something possibly on your hands? Lotions? Sunscreen, cleaning supplies, etc.?

I don’t put my hands in tanks cuz I’m allergic to salt water (hilarious I know) and my husband always washes his hands throughly with dawn soap and rinses well before going into any tanks. Also, he had hands in 2 other tanks yesterday that dont seem affected.

 

[c_healy]

I believe this is caused by something else. I have never heard of inverts carrying a disease that can wipe out fish, let alone one this quickly.
Was anything done recently to all the affected tanks? Any changes?

 

[Rtaylor]

I don’t put my hands in tanks cuz I’m allergic to salt water (hilarious I know) and my husband always washes his hands throughly with dawn soap and rinses well before going into any tanks. Also, he had hands in 2 other tanks yesterday that dont seem affected.

You said the cuc was hand picked from acclimation and placed in the tank.

 

[exalectric]

If some portion of cuc died on introduction to tanks due to salinity or other difference from new saltwater used to acclimate, perhaps an ammonia spike?

Maybe but I think we did a pretty good job checking for DOA and watching them once introduced. It doesn’t look like any new additions died after adding to the tanks except a snail that got murdered by a hermit for his shell.

 

[exalectric]

You said the cuc was hand picked from acclimation and placed in the tank.

Right? We acclimated them all with new saltwater, floating in the tanks to get the temps to match and checked for dead ones then hand placed each into the display tanks. By we, I mean my husband handles them because I break out when I touch salt water.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

If a 40% water change ‘fixed’ an acute problem. That’s a big clue that the problem is water quality related.

I missed that point - that would seem to point to a water quality issue, but I can’t think of a water quality issue that wouldn’t also harm the inverts….
Jay

 

[exalectric]

I believe this is caused by something else. I have never heard of inverts carrying a disease that can wipe out fish, let alone one this quickly.
Was anything done recently to all the affected tanks? Any changes?

I can’t think of anything that changed. What would cause such massive sudden deaths? I’m not saying I know what it was, just that’s the only thing that changed. But if we can figure out something that would cause an impact so quickly id like to know what it is

 

[vetteguy53081]

Many possibilities as yo cause of death. I have a hard time concluding cleaners were the cause unless poor acclimation or some were dead and other would be any bag water contaminating tank. A water change was mentioned and there is something revolving around that water change such as :
Contamination
Tap water
false salinity
High TDS
Chloromines
ammonia spike
stray voltage * heater or pumps

You stated ammonia at zero. What test kit are you using ?

 

[exalectric]

I missed that point - that would seem to point to a water quality issue, but I can’t think of a water quality issue that wouldn’t also harm the inverts….
Jay

My question too. Unless the survivors are troopers who would have made it regardless.

 

[Cell]

No rhyme or reason for what perished and what remained either.

16g biocube- no survivors
Cleaner goby
maroon clown

40 breeder
Oscellaris - 1 dead 1 made it
Snowflake eel - survived
Blue damsels- both dead
Bengali cardinal - 2 dead 1 made it
Pj cardinal - survived

75g
Clown & Picasso trigger - made it
Fox face - died
Clown tang - died
2 oscellaris - made it

 

[exalectric]

Many possibilities as yo cause of death. I have a hard time concluding cleaners were the cause unless poor acclimation or some were dead and other would be any bag water contaminating tank. A water change was mentioned and there is something revolving around that water change such as :
Contamination
Tap water
false salinity
High TDS
Chloromines
ammonia spike
stray voltage * heater or pumps

You stated ammonia at zero. What test kit are you using ?

Can contamination occur from the shells or the little water that transferred with the animals to the acclimation bucket and then to the tanks?


For ammonia we use API. But the nyos nitrate test is at 0.06 which is about what we normally have.

Also our salt water is all mixed using RODI which regularly tests at 0-1 tds.

I don’t think stray voltage could affect multiple tanks at the samr

 

[Pistondog]

Can you verify salinity in the fresh saltwater, mixed rodi and salt is the same as tanks?

 

[exalectric]

Can you verify salinity in the fresh saltwater, mixed rodi and salt is the same as tanks?

Salinity is 0.025 for the mixed saltwater used to acclimate and the tanks.

 

[Cell]

You said you have 2 unaffected tanks? Is there anything else shared or common between the affected tanks vs unaffected?

 

[Tbg299]

Hence the question mark and request for ideas of what it could be. I’m just stating the only thing that has changed in these systems was the addition of the CUC, yesterday. Otherwise nothing has changed. If you have alternate theories please share them. I’m all ears to figure out what happened and prevent it in the future.

I'm sorry for being rude, but it also isn't right to slander someone's business, claiming "X killed my fish," if you haven't determined what the issue is.

 

[exalectric]

You said you have 2 unaffected tanks? Is there anything else shared or common between the affected tanks vs unaffected?

They all use the same saltwater mix. The two unaffected tanks didn’t get new CUC yesterday is the only particular difference.

So maybe something from the travel bag water got into these tanks. But wouldn’t ammonia also kill inverts?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can contamination occur from the shells or the little water that transferred with the animals to the acclimation bucket and then to the tanks?


For ammonia we use API. But the nyos nitrate test is at 0.06 which is about what we normally have.

Also our salt water is all mixed using RODI which regularly tests at 0-1 tds.

I don’t think stray voltage could affect multiple tanks at the samr

The little bit of water can elevate ammonia but not at a drastic level. API test kit notorious for false reading which are generally higher than what you see.
I would take a water sample to a trusted LFS that does Not use API kits and have them test water for you ( Ammonia-ph-salinity-nitrate ) and see what readings they get and to compare with yours.